Nowka Bais is the traditional form of dragon boat style racing in rural villages of Bangladesh held after the monsoon rains and reflects many of the customs of the country.

Since Birmingham became the home of Nowka Bais in 2015, it has gone from strength to strength and has now become one of the country’s leading Bangladeshi cultural event attracting thousands of people from all over the UK and Europe. Nowka Bais in the UK is organised and operated by Nowka Bais CIC a community interest company, and with the help of a steering committee made up of local people and the business community.

We have developed a holistic approach to our work with the community.  At the heart of our approach has been the ability to cultivate and develop relationship with members of the community in a culturally appropriate manner which has enabled us to build strong relationships through working in groups. Moreover, we believe that bringing people together from different communities will give them an opportunity to know and appreciate the history and culture of others, address isolation, improve self-confidence and improve over health and wellbeing.

A key objective of Nowka Bais is to improve the health and well-being of people living in inner city areas by participating in water sports. We organise regular rowing activities at Edgbaston Reservoir and at canals using bell boats.